A certified nurse’s aide at the upstate New York nursing home, Northwoods Rehabilitation Center, has been arrested for sexually abusing an elderly resident of the facility from December 15, 2007 – January 7, 2009. Robert Gundersen faces the following charges:
1) sexual abuse in the first degree, a class D felony;
2) forcible touching, a class A misdemeanor; and
3) sexual abuse in the third degree, a class B misdemeanor.
According to the indictment, Mr. Gundersen touched the breasts and vagina of a 78 year-old resident who was unable to defend herself from the attack. If convicted, Mr. Gundersen faces 2 1/3 – 7 years of incarceration.
Unbelievably, Mr. Gundersen also faces charges stemming from a prior incident when he was employed as a certified nurse’s aide at another upstate New York nursing home, Eddy Ford Nursing Home. He is charged with sexual abuse in the third degree for allegedly french-kissing a nursing home resident who suffered from multiple sclerosis and was wheelchair-bound.
The charges against Mr. Gunderson are the result of Attorney General Cuomo’s ongoing investigation into nursing home neglect and abuse.
Website Resources:
Troy Aide Indicted For Nursing Home Sexual Abuse, North Country Gazette, May 5, 2009
